Tristan's relection

On Thursday we visited the Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). It was a valuable learning experience and we were able to see  many similarities to the United States system while still having an Irish spin to it. I particularly liked learning about the student societies (clubs/organizations) on campus. This is an area of focus for myself within higher education and it was wonderful to compare and contrast the two. I was happy to see that students here have a wide range of extracurricular learning activities to gain knowledge outside of the classroom and find a way to identify with their peers. As I work with these types of groups in the U.S., I enjoyed  the fact that this is a transnational concept.

The trip to all of the institutions, but especially CIT (as it is very similar to institutions I work with) has made me see the merits in Irish higher education. It has also ignited a fire within me to begin finding a way to relocate to Cork to work for one of the institutions and make an impact with their students. I feel I can bring both an international perspective and knowledge from my previous higher education experiences and education from U of L. It won't be an easy process to secure a work visa and employment, however I will begin researching the process when I arrive home. Hopefully, I will find a solution by the time I graduate in December. This trip has truly allowed for both personal and educational growth. 

Finally, in the last two full days here in Ireland, I look forward to making the most of my time with Jennifer, Matt, and Rachel... plus Shavon and Dr. Aliaga. In the last few days we have had a ton of fun and it will be a little strange on Tuesday to no longer see them morning, noon, and night. As the train is nearing Dublin, I must end this post...Cheers! 

~Tristan

Killarney and the Ring of Kerry photo's

A different church in Killarney that we cane across on our walk in the town.

On the bus for the tour of the Ring of Kerry. 5 minutes in and the view is amazing!

At our first stop on the tour. Notice the two puppies, too! 

Another beautiful stop for pics

Pic from the bus. 

Queen Victoria sent ladies out to pic a spot fit for a lady. This was deemed the Ladies View.

The rolling green hills. Everything was so beautiful!

Beautiful Ring of Kerry

Yesterday we took a six hour bus tour to the ring of Kerry. Words cannot describe how beautiful the different landscapes are. I'm so glad we were able to do this tour because in my mind this is how I pictured Ireland. We were told it was kind of hazy out so we were not getting the best views but I cannot imagine it getting any better. One of my favorite moments was getting Kerry soft served ice cream (with sprinkles of course) and sitting on a stone wall over looking mother natures beauty and reflecting on how blessed I am. I want to give a special shout out to my grandparents, my mom, and Garvan for their support to make this trip possible for me. It's been amazing! Now, off to Dublin we go!!!

  

Happy Caturday!

Our Thursday evening in Cobh

Dr. Aliaga with his camera ready!

Our captain of the tour. He was full of knowledge, it was excellent!

8 Minutes can change you for a lifetime.........

This trip has been absolutely amazing thus far. Everyone is so kind and express interest in the conversations that they hold with you.  I have loved many things about the trip. The group on this trip is  a wonderful grouping of people and we are able to laugh and share and create wonderful memories together on our adventure here in Ireland.

As a coordinator of the trip, I have had the pleasure of going out into the city of Cork to make arrangements for our excursions.  On each bus ride (and there have been many!), I have met so many wonderful people just in passing.  I may never see them again, but they have greatly impacted my views of life and loving and respecting one another.

On one particular trip to the Kent Train station, I encountered on gentleman in particular.  He was 88 years of age and a perfectly lovely man.  We began on the 8 minute bus ride sitting in the same row, but each at the left and right windows of the bus. Maybe he just wanted someone to talk to, but he scooted into the aisle seat and said hello to me and asked me if I was enjoying Cork.  We then conversed for the remainder of the bus ride about weather and the beautiful sun; that he was in from Dublin for a holiday and that he was 88 and retired and what else could be better than walking around Cork and then Cobh (Cove). He'd also bought a coat that morning because he was getting a cough and he didn't want it to go to his chest.

We both walked into the train station and each needed to purchase tickets. He bought for himself to Cobh for the day and I bought for the group to Cobh for the evening. After that, we exchanged goodbyes and I suddenly felt this pang in my heart. All I could feel was worry for him not to get sick from his cough and sadness knowing that I would never see him again or even know how he was doing.

I never knew his name, but our encounter together will forever be engrained on my heart.  I can't tell you why it impacted me so; all I can say is that it did.

Each person on this earth has a story. They just need someone to hear it.

As always, Cheers!

Shavon

More random pics from the trip! Happy Friday!!!

This is in the blarney castle

We traveled to Cobh (pronounced cove) yesterday. It was absolutely beautiful right by the water. It was the Titanics last stop!

This is a view of the city at Cobh, followed by some of us in front of the cathedral.

It was a perfect day!

Picture at the Cork City Gaol (jail).

Today we go to the ring of Kerry which we have been told many times is absolutely beautiful! I'm so excited!

Cheers!

Last half of the trip! Jennifer

We are in the second half of our trip and I cannot believe time has gone by so fast! Today has been my favorite day (I got to go shopping). We went for a visit at the cork institute of technology and they had so much neat stuff. We had an in depth tour of the culinary arts department. They had an awesome bar set up for bartenders to learn how to serve bar, I used to bartend so I found it very interesting. They also had state of the art classrooms and kitchens for the chefs. The CIT was a great place to visit, I wish I could take students there for field trips.

After the CIT, Rachel and I went shopping. We were able to accomplish a lot in an hour! One of my favorite parts about cork is how nice the people are. We have met so many interesting characters here in Ireland.